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Meteorology and Hydrology in Yosemite National Park:A Sensor Network Application.

Authors

• Jessica D Lundquist• Daniel R Cayan

• Michael D Dettinger

Presented By Ram

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Motivation

• Snowmelt of Sierra Nevada is California’s major water resource.

• These rivers act as Vital Arteries in the area.

• Current streamflow measurements predict earlier snowmelt and increased global warming.

• Existing models also predict a change in the average rainfall in the area.

• Sparse data exist to predict and understand such changes.

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Introduction

Objective• To use sensor networks efficiently for river monitoring and gauging meteorological processes at the snowmelt dominated Sierra Nevada Ranges for intelligent management of water resources.

• To deploy a prototype sensor network at the Yosemite National Park to study and monitor such processes.

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Why Sensor Networks

Challenges of Existing Monitoring Systems.

• Access only to lowly elevated regions while the major hydrological processes happen at higher altitudes.

• Snow accumulated at one place not a representative of the snow fall in the entire terrain region because snow occurs in patches of nonuniform depth and intensity.

• Satellite images are infrequent.

• Also satellite images do not help in understanding the actual river discharge.

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Why Sensor Networks

Challenges of Existing Monitoring Systems.

• Data Collection in High elevation Wilderness areas are difficult and expensive because of the extra costs and logistics required to visit snowy sites and preserve their undisturbed character.

• Administrative problems limit access to these areas.

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Why Sensor Networks

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Sensor Networking at Yosemite National Park

• Easy Access to Merced and Tuolumne Rivers in Yosemite National Park.

• These rivers drain the western slope of the southern Sierra from altitudes of 1200 m to 3700 m.

• Close to Highway 120(Tioga Road).

• Unimpaired flows

• Representative of basins throughout the Western United States.

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Sensor Networking at Yosemite National Park

• River Monitoring network started in Summer 2001.• Twenty instruments recording hourly water level and temperature installed in the upper reaches of the rivers.• Sensor locations selected to monitor subbasins with a variety of topographic conditions.• Four water conductivity sensors deployed to make hourly measurements in the river basins.• Presently 25 internally-recording temperature/relative humidity sensors deployed along Highway 120 that monitors weather systems and air masses sweeping across the Sierra from the Pacific.

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Sensor Networking at Yosemite National Park

Future Installments

• Installation of webcam to view snow in surrounding alpine areas.

• Installation of a full snow/meteorological station at Merced Lake with GOES satellite telemetry.

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Sensor Networking at Yosemite National Park

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Sensor Networking at Yosemite National Park

Communication Issues

• Possible communication options are satellite uplink, wirelessly transmitting the data to a cell phone network , wirelessly transmitting the data to an installed equipment and then using landline communication from there on.• Data backup is important due to difficulty in geographical access.• The SIO Development Engineer Douglas Alden is building a low cost , low power data logger that will log , record and wirelessly transmit data from the sensors

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Sensor Networking at Yosemite National Park

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Sensor Networking at Yosemite National Park

Data Logger Features

• Small Battery pack.

• 32 MB of memory.

• Measurements at 3 minute intervals.

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Sensor Networking at Yosemite National Park

Thank You !